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It's a pretty piece. I'm guessing this is a canon in the Pachelbel mode. It's certainly not a canon as Bach understood them. So there's a ground bass theme of a whopping 4 bars. Fortunately you didn't keep the theme in the bass (human players might have killed you), but harmonically it sounds very much the same for the vast majority of your seven and half minutes. With such a short theme you have to be very creative to keep the piece interesting, like Brahms with the variations finale of his 4th Symphony. This piece doesn't sound like that happens. Unlike Pachelbel there's a distinct lack of sixteenth notes. While there is dynamic growth and that leads to some interesting moments around the 6 minute mark I would have under normal circumstances stopped listening long before then. Like I said, it's pretty, the usual harmonic sound is attractive and it does get louder and softer but there's no signifcant variation. That may be OK for your audience.

I wasn't trying to actually trying to write it in the style of Pachelbel, or Bach etc... I also wasn't considering adding any variation to the original theme either. The Ideal is to make it more like a round, which repeats the first introduced theme, just the way it was originally stated, but on a different instrument. Also, The setting of the piece must be taking into consideration. It is a quiet New England Autumn setting. I don't think it would be appropriate to add sixteenth notes (I am not quite sure what that would really add to the piece). If I could say anything else about the nature of this piece, I would say it is more in the direction of Barbers Adagio for Strings as opposed to, say a Canon from Pachelbel, Bach or any others.

Hi, JorgeBol! This piece for me is very reminiscent of the first movement of Henryk Gorecki's Symphony No 3 -- it has the same sense of minimalist repetition, deriving its power and poignance from a gradual augmentation through both dynamics and added instrumentation to a climactic juncture, then a diminution using the same materials. I find your piece totally convincing, but then I'm a real sucker for Coplandesque soundscapes.

I was wondering if I could prevail upon you to send me the solo piano music of your "Anthem". A couple of years ago, you had provided me with the music to your New England set (can't remember the title right now), and the Anthem I think is just a stirring piece using the same thematic materials. I'd be most appreciative if you could. My e-mail address is Mewsdad@charter.net. Thanks!